Maria, da'len
by 00PhoenixHawke00
Summary: What if the Herald of Andraste was a young Dalish child? This fic contains reluctant parenting and stuff.
1. Chapter 1

The tiny girl was falling. Down, down down. The green tinged sky seemed to go on forever, endlessly submerging her in an eerie sea of fog. She almost didn't feel the cruel wind whipping her cheeks, making her tangled red hair fly behind her like a blinding solar flare. She barely felt the burn in her left hand.

It was easy to ignore the fact that she would eventually feel the fall, when she got to the bottom. If she survived.

But she felt the impact. By the Dread Wolf, she felt it. And it hurt. For a split second, anyway. Then, all she felt was the falling of a different kind. Falling into oblivion, which had to be better than the pain. The girl embraced her death, fell into it with an open heart.

If only she had been so lucky.

The room she found herself in some time later was dark, enclosed, and dingy, with odd-looking iron poles on the wall facing the outside. What were they? Why was she here? What was that slimy feeling she felt all over her weak body? On closer inspection, it looked like some kind of salve that the healers back home rubbed on Mamae's body when she was sick with baby. The salve at the camp hurt Mamae. She blamed the stupid healers for what happened to Mamae in the end. No salve would kill her, but… Stretching her arms out, she felt no pain in them apart from the familiar faint burn in her hand. She didn't want to look at the injury yet. Maybe not ever. But the rest of her body felt much better than the pain she remembered from the fall.

A dark, hooded figure stepped out of the shadows behind the iron poles. The elf instinctively reared back, shuffling her rear back into the corner.

"Shh, elf. I'm not here to hurt you."

She heard rattling, and then an uncomfortable creak as a door opened. The figure stepped in, and removed her hood. A woman? But she wasn't like any woman that she had ever seen. She was tall, unnaturally so. And her ears were rounded, unlike the delicate point of her own ears. She had heard of these people. Shemlens. They were cruel, heartless tyrants who had taken away the elves' homeland and their legacy. They were to be avoided at all costs. Mamae used to call them awful names when she told stories, say that if she didn't settle down to sleep at night the shems would come and nibble on her flesh. It would terrify her.

Worse, the shemlen was holding something wrapped. It could be anything,

She screamed and tried to stand up abruptly, but the healing salves hadn't worked as well as she originally judged. Her legs buckled, and she collapsed onto the floor. She didn't even notice the ball of blue flame that was growing larger in her right hand. She didn't notice the flame shooting past the shem's head, narrowly missing her ear.

The shem dodged it expertly, and nodded. "Alright," she said with a defeated look. "It's alright." There was the chilling sound of the door closing and then locking again, and then the woman was gone. When the elf opened her eyes, there was a small box on the floor. The thing the shem had been holding. Taking great care, she picked it up and shook it. It wasn't too heavy, but had the unmistakeable _swish_ of liquid. Poison?

Even so, her stomach was rumbling. She hadn't eaten for days. Opening the box, she found some ram meat., a few leaves and a large bottle filled with water. Too eager to wait, she uncorked the bottle with her teeth and downed the whole thing, still parched. It felt like ambrosia dripping down her cracked lips, revitalising her throat at the dryest it had ever been.

The food was almost as good, but she felt ill after a few bites. She wasn't accustomed to eating any more. She hadn't eaten for days, and even before that she only had scraps. She hadn't eaten a meal in… Months, maybe?

How long would she be in this cell? What had happened to her? The mark upon her hand didn't have any distinct shape, and it was… Glowing. And throbbing, with some kind of magic, perhaps? Even a non-mage could tell that the Veil was thin. Did this odd mark have something to do with it?

The girl heard an odd wail in a pained voice. The cry was desperate and raspy, and had the air of someone who had seen too much in a short space of time. It was the lament of a lost child, begging for home.

She was surprised to learn the voice was her own.

"Mamae!" she cried weakly. "Help. Help me. I am lost. I don't like it here, and I'm cold. Hungry. Please, come back. Mamae!"


	2. Chapter 2

She didn't know how long she had slept, or if she had slept at all, when the shemlen woman came again. The crying had left her weary and broken, and with a pounding in her head that didn't go away no matter how much she stuck her fingers in her ears.

She tried to sit up eagerly, and barely managed a small smile. Maybe if she looked agreeable, the shem wouldn't hurt her? Maybe she would give her some more food and water?

Sadly, the woman held no food, and only looked at her for a little while, with an expression she couldn't quite read. Maybe she was wary because of how the little elf had screamed earlier. She had heard that sometimes the shems weren't bad to elves out of cruelty; sometimes they were just scared of their power.

Maybe the shem wouldn't hurt her once she knew the elf didn't mean any harm.

"Hello," the elf said warily. The shem looked surprised, even shocked at the way the elf spoke to her. Once she got over the initial blow, she regained her composure.

"Hello, elf. You speak the king's tongue?" The shem's voice was surprisingly warm and sing-song, but quiet and calm. Tendrils of fiery red hair peeked out of her purple hood, and her eyes were a brilliant blue, like the robes of her Keeper. On closer inspection, the shemlen's eyes had a worldly-wise quality to them, like someone who was used to suffering and who nothing could shock. The girl didn't know why, but she trusted her. She seemed kind.

"The king's tongue? I speak elvhen and another language, I don't know what it is. Are you going to kill me?"

"That will make things easier. Do you have a name, child? I feel as though simply calling you 'elf' isn't appropriate. You are a person, after all, no?"

"My name is Maria." Maria thought for a moment, and realized that the shem had avoided her question about her fate. She decided to repeat it. "Are you going to kill me?"

"No, Maria. I am not going to kill you, lovely."

"Oh. Why am I here?"

The shem crinkled her nose. She looked worried, and spoke with a lot of hesitation and doubt in her voice.

"You are here… Because a woman wants to speak to you. She doesn't want to hurt you either, but she will ask a lot of questions. It's her job to find out things, Maria. A bad thing has happened."

"What happened?"

"Do you want some water?"

"Yes, please. What happened?"

The woman sighed. "I can't tell you that. I'm sure that Cassandra will."

"Can I get out of here?"

"I should think so, eventually. I'm going to get your water, alright?"

"Wait! What's your name?"

"Me, I am Leliana."

"L-Leli.."

Leliana smiled sadly, and managed a chuckle. "Leli will do,"

And then she was gone, leaving Maria all alone in her dingy cell. She was becoming more and more aware of her bleak surroundings, and every fibre of her being cried out to go home. Even if Mamae wasn't there, and never would be, Keeper was there, if she had gotten back. And so were her friends.

And whatever had happened, it must have been awful. Innocent elves weren't kept in places like this for no reason, in the Marches anyway. Maybe things in Ferelden were different. But what had happened, anyway?

CRASH. The door opened with a bellow. Leliana stood in the doorway, with a shorter and stockier woman behind her. Another shem. What was going on?

The short one ran up to her cell door and stuck a long blade through the bars.

" _Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now_ ," she spat, her hazel eyes slanted with fevered anger. "The conclave is destroyed, everyone who attended is dead. Except for _you._ " She said the last word like a curse, as if the very idea of Maria's existence was offensive to her.

In shock, Maria only screwed up her face and recoiled in reply. The woman reached through and grabbed her left hand, pulling her on her stomach towards the bars of the cell. Twisting her hand around and showing her the glowing mark, she intoned forcefully, "Explain. This."

"I can't!"

"What do you mean you _can't?!_ "

"I don't know what that is, or how it got there!"

Cassandra frowned, obviously disbelieving the girl. "You're lying!"

Finally, Leliana stepped in and gently put her hand on Cassandra's shoulder. "We need her, Cassandra."

"Please, just… Let me go," Maria mumbled. "I don't know what you're talking about, and I want to go home."

Leliana sat down on the floor, despite the broken rat corpses and questionable slime. She put a pitying hand on Maria's shoulder, and squeezed softly. "Do you remember what happened, lovely? How this began?"

Maria thought hard. She did remember something, a few things, even though most of it was mixed up and hazy. Reality was difficult to grasp, especially since all of this so far felt like a nightmare that she would wake up from soon enough. The longer she stayed, the less likely it seemed. What did she remember?

"I remember running. _Things_ were chasing me, and…" she thought hard, thinking of the ghostly figure she saw seconds before she fell. "A woman?"

"A woman?" Leliana's eyes widened.

Maria nodded. "She… reached out to me, but then…" she lost her train of thought, and couldn't remember anything no matter how hard she tried. She sighed in resignation, silently telling the women she was done.

"Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take her to the rift."

Cassandra unlocked the door, and pulled the elf to her feet, too quickly. Maria fell back down onto the dirty floor in seconds. She could have sworn she crushed a few hundred maggots. She clambered back to her feet and tried to meet Cassandra's gaze. Cassandra made a disgusted noise and opened the door.

Chaos was everywhere she looked, but the first thing she noticed was the sky. Up, through the fog, flecks of pulsating emerald green swam across it, like an oozing wound. And Maria couldn't help but wonder if this was the thing they were holding her for. It couldn't be. Could it? The two women had spoke of something horrific, and mentioned deaths, too. Had Maria killed someone? Many people?

"We call it the Breach," Cassandra informed her, almost in reply to her thoughts. "It's a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It's not the only such rift. Just the largest." She stared off into the distance, reluctant to look at her charge.

"All were caused by the explosion at the conclave."

"An explosion can do that?" Maria was bewildered.

"This one did."

Suddenly, the sky above them began to convulse. The greens swirled faster and faster, and they spread out more. It sounded like thunder, and then Maria was on the ground. The pain was back, unbearable this time. Green fire ran in her veins from her hands and up to her shoulder, going straight to her heart. Her vision was green, the sky was green, everything was green. She bit back the urge to scream as her whole body spasmed. Is this what dying felt like? Is that what Mamae felt in her final hours?

Slowly, the pain began to wear off, and Cassandra helped her to her feet. "When the breach grows, your mark expands. And it is killing you." She said all of this so matter-of-factly, as if the life-and-death situation meant nothing to her. It probably didn't. If Mamae's stories were true.

"Your mark - it may be the key to stopping this, Maria. But we don't have much time."


	3. Chapter 3

Maria hated the way everyone looked at her here, all wide eyed stares and sneers. It was as if they'd never seen an elf in their lives. Did shems think of elves the same way elves thought of shems? And she'd never seen so many shems before in her life. Big shems, little shems. Black shems, white shems. They were all united in the way they looked at Maria.

The elf was curled up inside a blanket, nestled against Cassandra's chest. Cassandra had agreed to this only reluctantly, only being swayed by the fact she was exhausted. It wasn't particularly comfortable; her bosom was covered in harsh steel armor. But the blanket was warm, and Maria found herself drifting off. She almost didn't notice the dozen soldiers marching behind, swords drawn.

She was shaken awake when they got to this "rift." So many soldiers were stationed around it, clearly fighting something Maria couldn't see.

She wished she could have stayed asleep in the blanket.

Whatever these things were, they were absolutely monstrous. Great purple things with ridged backs flailed at the soldiers, fighting with only their bare… Tentacles? The bloody force that they attacked with knocked the soldiers back, and there was bloodshed. Everywhere.

As the noise gradually went down, a long-fingered, pale hand reached into Maria's blanket and held her hand out towards something. With a loud cracking noise, the fighting seemed to cease altogether. What had just happened?

"W-what did he do?" Maria stammered, looking up at Cassandra for answers. Cassandra, however, seemed just as perplexed as she was.

" _I_ did nothing, da'len. I think you should be thanking yourself." The voice sounded similar to the men in her Dalish clan, and seemed to be addressing her. Maria wriggled out of the blanket to see who was speaking, and promptly fell onto the snowy ground. The man helped her to her feet, and looked into her eyes kindly.

He was tall, for an elf, and a little soft in the middle as well. His body was adorned with strange robes that actually looked more like rags, commoner clothes. It was only the large, glowing staff in his free hand that told her he was a mage. Perhaps a powerful one, too. He had that air about him that suggested authority, greatness, despite his rugged clothes.

"At least this thing is good for something," Maria said glumly. The man simply nodded and turned away from her, addressing Cassandra.

"Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark on the child's hand. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wake - and it seemed I was correct." It should have been smug, but the older elf sounded solemn when he spoke.

"Meaning it _could_ also close the Breach itself?" Cassandra was far more business-like.

"Possibly. It seems she holds the key to our salvation."

"W-what?" Maria demanded. She was no saviour! Who were these people, talking about her as if she could save anyone, not to mention the world?!

"No, child. This is not of your concern," said Cassandra, firm and steely as always.

"Come now, Seeker. You can't say something like that in front of the girl and expect her not to ask questions." The next voice that spoke was rough and gravelly, but not unpleasant. It came from an odd, stocky and short man, who was plodding his way over to them.

"Varric Tethras. Rogue, story-teller, and occasionally unwelcome tag-a-long." He winked at Cassandra, who in turn frowned.

"What are you?" Maria squeaked, staring at the man's strange body and features.

"Oh for the love of - child, don't be so rude!" Cassandra looked truly embarrassed, a dark shade of pink coming to her caramel cheeks. Varric just laughed.

"Me? I'm a dwarf, kiddo. Nice to meet you."

"But… you're… just a short shem."

Varric roared with laughter, pounding his fist on an invisible table in the air. "You know, that could get you into a lot of trouble if you said that to the wrong dwarf. You're lucky you got me, Ginger."

"Ginger?"

"Your hair. It's a thing of mine. People get names. Me, though, I'm just Varric. Nobody gives old Varric a name."

"I'm Maria." She smiled; this strange dwarf was possibly the friendliest face she'd seen since she came to this place.

"Nope, you're Ginger." He reached down and ruffled her red hair, grinning.

Maria giggled. "You can be… Shorty."

"Original."

Cassandra snorted, and broke into their conversation. "I hate to interrupt your making _friends,_ Varric, but we have to move. Good day."

"Aw, c'mon. Bianca'll be great company in the valley."

"Absolutely not! Your help is appreciated, Varric, but…"

"Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore! You need me." Varric cocked his head in a mock-pleading way, trying to make Maria laugh. It worked.

Cassandra just raised her hands in defeat and sighed disgustedly.

"My name is Solas," the elf spoke again. "I am happy you're still alive."

"He watched over you while you were asleep in your cell," explained Varric.

"Thank you, hahren." Maria shuddered at the memory of the cell, and climbed back into Cassandra's blanket sling. It was warm there, safe. Nothing could hurt her.

"Cassandra, you should know. The magic involved here is unlike any I have seen. Though your prisoner is a mage, I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power."

Cassandra nodded, clearly deep in thought. "Understood. We must get to the forward camp, quickly."

And so they walked, Cassandra steely-eyed and guarded as ever, and the funny dwarven man always trying to make Maria laugh. The elf seemed lost in his own world, and neither hostile or friendly towards anyone in the party. He walked quickly and purposefully, his staff swinging behind him like a pendulum. Every so often he would look back, just checking his companions were still behind him.

The "forward camp," was just a bridge with a few tents and soldiers stationed there… And Leliana. She was standing in front of a desk, talking to a rather disagreeable looking man. They appeared to be having a heated argument; Leliana's eyes were sparkling with rage.

Varric pulled Maria away from the argument, distracting her with what he had in his pockets. "Ever played Wicked Grace?"

Cassandra threw him a steely glare. "Hardly appropriate, Varric."

"Seeker, the kid doesn't need to hear this. How old is she, four?"

Maria looked indignant. "I'm seven!"

"See?"

All of Cassandra's communication today seemed to be expressed with shrugs and exasperated sighs. She wandered off to join the bickering.

Maria was quickly learning the rules of Varric's odd card game when Cassandra stumbled back, looking fiery and confused. "We must charge with the soldiers. It's the only way to the rift."

"I heard Leliana talking about scouts. You're not going to just leave them?"

Cassandra grabbed the dwarf by his shoulders. "Don't. Question. Me."

"We must charge with the soldiers to get to the Breach. It's the only way." Her tone was blank and matter-of-fact, as if she was talking about the probability of rain.

"What about those scouts in the mountain pass Leliana told us about earlier? We can't just leave them." Varric was much more passionate, giving Cassandra a hard stare. Cassandra didn't yield.

"Clearly, Varric, we can leave the scouts."

"Why don't we ask the girl?"

"Ridiculous."

A cold-faced man in red and white robes was making his way over from the desk towards Cassandra, Varric, Solas and Maria. "She's a child. A knife-ear, as well. What use is her opinion?"

That seemed to wake Cassandra up. Suddenly, she sprung into action. "Hush, Chancellor. Child, what do you want us to do?" And then, more to the man than to Maria, "You are the one with the mark."


	4. Chapter 4

Cassandra was beginning to regret asking Maria what they should do when the wicked teeth of the freezing wind were biting at her face, forcing her jaw to shake up and down.. Maria had fallen asleep again, oblivious to the cold under her makeshift cradle.

The soldiers flanking them fought back most of the demons, and they only had to wake Maria up if there was a rift needing to be closed. Otherwise, the actual journey wasn't too awful if they could ignore the wind.

Maria was awake when they found the scouts - or what was left of them. Some were missing arms, legs… And Cassandra was sure she saw a lifeless head blowing in the wind. Varric tried to distract Maria, but it was too late. She had seen. Her eyes widened.

"Like Mamae," she breathed.

"Your… mummy?"

"I don't know that word. Mamae. She went to sleep and didn't wake up, even if I shook her. Are those shems asleep?"

"They are with the Maker, Maria. They are in His kingdom. Would you like to say a prayer for them?"

"Who is the Maker? Will he keep them safe? Is he looking after Mamae? I thought the Creators were the only gods?"

"Yes, child. The Maker looks after us all when we perish." Cassandra's voice was reverent as she talked about her maker.

Varric cut in. "Or, so the Andrastians believe. If the elves believe something different, let them. They're not hurting anyone."

"But it's nonsense!"

"Enough. Let her have her faith. 'Maker' knows it could be what pulls us through."

Maria smiled. "I like the Creators better."

They made their way down the mountain in silence for a while. Maria wasn't asleep, but she had her head out of the blanket and was taking in her surroundings, fascinated.

"Ginger?"

"Yes, Shorty?"

"Have you ever, really, been outside of the Free Marches?"

"No, never."

"Oh." Varric paused for a moment, stroking his chin in thought.

"Why?"

"Well, if - that is to say, when - we get through this… I'd be honoured to show you some of the finer aspects of Ferelden. You know, the places that aren't ravaged by demons."

"I think I'd like that."

"I think so too."

Maria smiled and put her head back in the blanket. Cassandra said they were getting "close," whatever that meant. Close to what?

Whatever their destination was, things were getting considerably bleaker as they neared it. Charred corpses and crumbled stone made it difficult to create a path.

"This is the Temple of Sacred Ashes," Cassandra breathed. "Here is where you walked out of the Fade. Some say there was a woman behind you. No one knows who she was."

Maria thought back to the woman who had held her hand. A golden burst of light, the opposite of a shadow.

She vaguely remembered standing up, but then she was in her cell. There was a shadowy image in her head of men. Tall, burly men in full steel armor, so different to the warm leathers that the hunters in her clan wore. The men pointed their weapons at her… But then there was nothing. That's where her memories ended.

"I don't know either," Maria said glumly.

Then she saw it. a massive rift, maybe fifty times the size of anything she'd handled before. It spewed out a green mist into the sky above, the poison staining the grey clouds. It seemed to almost tear the sky open, like a huge stab wound.

"The breach," said Cassandra, pointing at it as if it could possibly be anything else. "You need to close it."

"How am I going to get up there?" The platform they were on was elevated, and even then the green crystal above seemed miles above her.

"We'll find a way."

The group picked their way through bones, body parts, and general debris that littered the ground. The smell was disgusting, worse than anything Maria had ever experienced in her life. Even Cassandra was gagging.

Strange shards of a red crystal were poking through the ground, almost as if it was trying to claw its way out of a prison.

"You know that stuff," Varric quivered, putting one arm out and then retracting it, as if he had changed his mind rapidly.

"I see it, Varric." Cassandra kept her cool; clearly she thought Varric's concern was unwarranted.

"But what's it _doing_ here?"

Solas raised his head suddenly and chimed in, "Magic could have drawn on lyrium beneath the temple, corrupted it."

"Ugh! It's evil. Whatever you do, don't touch it." Varric shuddered violently.

Cassandra just shrugged and directed the group towards the breach. She had decided that the best way to target the breach had to be directly underneath it, so they were making their way to the lower reaches of the temple's remains. The carnage only grew more disastrous as they neared the rift. It was crystal clear that this was the very source of the damage.

The gigantic rift glowed and pulsated, and then started… talking.

"Keep the sacrifice still."

Maria didn't know why, but the voice made her incredibly uneasily, even if she ignored the fact it was coming from a demon-spouting rift in the sky. It was male, dry and unpleasant, like somebody had an eternal sore throat. It wasn't kind, either. It sounded evil.

The next voice was female, panicked. "Someone - help me!" It was familiar to Maria, but she didn't know where she had heard it before.

Cassandra gasped. "That… is Divine Justinia's voice!"

Everything was eerily silent as they grew closer and closer to the rift. Nobody spoke; they were afraid to.

They were looking directly at it when the woman repeated her desperate plea. "Someone - help me!"

The next voice was completely unexpected. It was Maria's.

"What's going on here?" It was oddly calm and even, as if she had walked in on a tea party. It showed no hint of horror, or demons, or even unease. She sounded fine.

"That was your voice," Cassandra struggled. "Most Holy called out to you, but…"

The rift started hissing, emitting green lightning-like bolts Everything flashed.

The carnage disappeared, and the walls of the temple flew gracefully back into place like no magic Maria had ever seen. A tall, menacing shadow appeared before them, and the transparent figure of an old but graceful looking woman. Maria decided she must be this Divine Cassandra kept talking about. Her arms were spread, toes pointed in the style of a crucified martyr. She was several meters above the ground, and her expression was one of terrified certainty of impending death.

Maria saw herself running towards the two ghostly figures, with a petrified face. She opened her mouth and screamed. "What's going on here?" She was hysterical.

The Divine turned her head towards the tiny elf and implored her. "Run while you can! Warn them!"

The tall shadow spoke once more in its cold and even tone. "We have an intruder." It raised a long finger and pointed at the apparition of Maria. "Slay the elf."

The vision ended, and they were back in the ruined temple. Maria squealed in terror and ran back to Cassandra's sling. Cassandra, however, pushed her to the ground and drew her sword.

"You were there! Who attacked? And the Divine, is she… Is this vision true? What are we seeing?"

Maria couldn't handle all the questions at once. She put her fingers in her ears and started rocking back and forth on the cobblestone ground. "I don't remember! I don't remember! I don't remember. I don't remember!"

Varric put both his hands on the girl's shoulders and shushed her quietly. "It's alright," he told her. "You don't remember."

Cassandra made a disgusted noise as Varric helped her up.

"Seeker, she's seven blighted years old. You can't treat her like one of your soldiers. She's a child."

"She's necessary."

"All the more reason to let her trust you."

The rift began to crackle again, and Maria braced herself for another vision. It didn't come. Solas spoke again.

"Echoes of what happened here. The Fade bleeds into this place. This rift is not sealed, but it is closed… albeit temporarily. I believe that with the Mark, the rift can be opened, and then sealed properly and safely. However, opening the rift will likely attract attention from the other side."

Cassandra widened her eyes and made a tighter grip on her sword. "That means demons! Stand ready!"


	5. Chapter 5

Soldiers were coming out of every corner, in response to Cassandra's call. Varric was propping up an exhausted Maria with both his arms, and Solas was mumbling to himself in elven, casting protective spells on the group.

"It's time, Ginger. It'll be okay. You're going to get through this." Varric gave Maria a reassuring half-smile.

Struggling, Maria raised her arm at the rift. Slowly but surely, it expanded. Once it had reached every corner of her vision, she then tried concentrating on sealing it. Perhaps if it was open and closed quickly enough, the demons wouldn't fall through in time.

No such luck.

The monster which fell out of the rift was huge; its vast body making its movements slow and its vicious laugh husky and steep. Maria was racked with fear, and instinctively tried to run. Cassandra caught her and held her firmly facing the demon, while the soldiers distracted it. Desperately, Maria strained to get out of her grasp, but Cassandra kept holding on even tighter. The more Maria fought, the more it hurt. In a split second, a burst of ice shot from her hands, freezing Cassandra's feet in place.

Shocked, Cassandra let go. Her face screwed up in rage. "Little shit! Look what you've done!" The words were harsh and mean, and they made Maria tremble. Varric gave the Seeker a disapproving look, and Cassandra relented.

Maria stayed at the sidelines with Cassandra as her guardian. Every so often, she would point her mark at the rift, which seemed to weaken the demon's defenses by a considerable amount. Sooner than they all thought, it fell down.

Cassandra grabbed her hand and pointed it at the rift aggressively.

None of the rifts she had handled before prepared her for this. Sweat poured off her forehead rapidly, and every muscle in her body began aching. Her brain was thrown into overdrive, and all she wanted to do was just let go. She had to. She needed to let go.

She needed to…

Down again. Everything went black. She didn't know if she had done it or not, if she had helped. She so hoped she did. She hoped…

Her thoughts ended there, as she drifted out of consciousness.

This was different to where she had woken up after the first time she blacked out. It was the complete opposite. The room she found herself in was warm and clean, and had clearly been specially prepared for a child. She was lying on a large bed. The blankets were soft, and a soft toy halla was tucked in beside her. It smelled like wind and wild berries from outside, and its smile was stitched on… Then she recognised it. Ashalle, the halla Mamae had crafted her with bird feathers and cotton, and berries for dye. Its horns were made of scratchy, flexible felt. It had always comforted her.

But how did it get here? Wouldn't it have been destroyed in the explosion?

It made her think of Mamae now, but her thoughts were no longer sad. They were peaceful. She had dreamed of her last night. She was safe, and happy where she was.

The beautiful halla wasn't the only toy in the room. In fact, the whole room was littered with soft things, fluffy things. Maria wanted to touch them all; they looked so pretty. She swung her legs around and got out of the bed, onto the smooth wooden floor. She crawled over to the biggest pile of soft toys, and pulled out a large blue bear. Hugging it close to her chest, she smiled. She felt safe.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Maria expected Cassandra, but instead saw a young elven woman, coming in with an armful of even more soft toys, and a bottle of green liquid. The woman gasped when she saw Maria awake and moving, and promptly dropped the bottle. It must have been made of strong glass. It didn't shatter.

"I didn't know you were awake, I swear!" she trembled quietly.

"Why are you afraid? Come and look at these bears; there's so many! Are you Dalish? Why aren't you with your clan?" Maria was excited to meet another elf in this strange place.

The older elf dropped to her knees and bowed low on the floor. She looked at Maria with adoring, fearful eyes. "I beg your forgiveness, and your blessing. I am but a humble servant. You are back in Haven, miss. They say you saved us. The Breach stopped growing, just like the mark on your hand."

Like a burst of ice magic in her veins, Maria felt cold. She remembered now. The demon, the Breach, how she fainted again. How long had she been out?

She looked down at the mark. It was still quite small, only just reaching the edges of her palm.

"Are we safe?"

"The Breach is still in the sky - but that's what they say!" The young woman was trembling, and Maria didn't know why.

"I'm certain Lady Cassandra would want to know you've wakened. She said, 'at once!'"

"Where is Cassandra?"

"In the Chantry, with the Lord Chancellor. 'At once," she said." The frightened woman scurried off, leaving the door half-closed behind her, and the bottles and toys on the floor. Maria reluctantly moved away from the toys, only carrying her majestic halla by its soft horns. She looked at herself in the mirror. The image that faced her looked different, somehow. She looked even thinner, smaller. Confusingly, she was wearing strange pyjamas. It dawned on her that she had been undressed and her clothes changed, and she felt herself blushing. On the other hand, she had been filthy. Whoever had changed her meant well.

She composed herself. She had closed the Breach. That woman said that she saved everyone. Saved. Maria had never saved anyone in her life, and now she was supposed to have saved Thedas? No. This couldn't be. She would find Cassandra, and sort this out. She could go home.

The door opened, revealing a beautiful day. The emerald-tinged sun was shining in the broken sky, and it felt good. It felt like hope. The snow on the ground was white and fluffy, as if nothing had happened. Maria wandered out into the snowy village, and looked around. She hadn't figured out that she didn't know what a Chantry was. And this village was strange. Some of these buildings were made of stone, not the beautiful wood craftsmanship of her portable Dalish homes. They were oddly solid, and not in a safe way. Even when the wind was howling through the panels of wood in the aravel, she always felt home. Always.

She decided to pace around the village in a daze some more, trying to find the Chantry. But the most curious thing was happening. As people saw her, they were putting their hands over their hearts and gazing at her in respect. She recognised some faces from the night before; their hatred and anger still burned into her mind.

So now that she had saved the world, they were willing to accept her as a person? Is that what it took? She smiled sadly back at them, and wandered off again to find the Chantry.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Major apologies. I uploaded the wrong chapter, which led to a lot of confusion for people! I've fixed it now though. This fic may or may not be going on hiatus soon, we'll have to see. I am going to upload chapters 6&7 now, and then hope that my muse comes back from her hiding place. Writer's block is a bitch!


	6. Chapter 6

It took a lot of wandering, but Maria finally found the Chantry. It was another one of those big stone buildings that made her feel uneasy. She traced one finger along the huge wooden door, feeling the carvings. That was more familiar, but still more crude than the delicate Dalish craft. And this was oak. The Dalish almost never made anything out of oak, it was too sturdy and harsh. They preferred soft, pliable ironbark.

Maria put her hand on the door handle and gasped. Even with two hands, it wouldn't budge. She tried pushing her shoulder against the door and pressing all her weight against it. Still, the door wouldn't budge. After a few fair tries, Maria was defeated. She slid her weak body down the door and sat on the doorstep, trying not to cry.

"Shut up," she told herself violently. "You're asha now. Not da'len."

The cries must have alerted somebody, because the Chantry door opened. And then someone was pulling her in. A pair of strong, uncomfortable armoured hands. They grabbed her roughly, took her into a small room, plonked her on the floor and drew their swords.

"You."

Maria blinked. Who were these people? They wore steel armour all over their bodies, even on their faces. There was a small slit through their helmets, but how did they see out of that? And why were they so angry with her?

"Please let me go," she begged, trying to get up but being forced down by the harsh boot of one of the men.

"They say you're our salvation, or some bollox like that. We know different. We're here to put a stop to you, once and for all. You scream, and it'll be even worse."

And then the men were grabbing at her, pulling, almost tearing her tunic. One of them stuck his sword right at her throat, and she couldn't help it. She had to scream.

She thought she was going to die.

Then, in a flash of black hair and determined eyes, Cassandra whirled into the room.

"What in Andraste's name are you doing to that child?!" she rumbled, drawing her own sword and holding it menacingly.

Maria realised that, in her panic, she had frozen the blade in the man's hand with her ice magic, and he was unable to slash her.

"Seeker Cassandra!" one of the men exclaimed, beginning to sweat in terrror. "We were just…"

Another one piped up. "She was giving us trouble, see. She's got a demon."

Cassandra put her sword back in its sheath and kicked the tallest soldier in the chest, even through his armour. Winded, he stepped back, clutching his dented breastplate. "Seeker, please!"

"This girl is my charge. Hurt her, and you will answer to none other than me. We don't want a repeat of last time, do we, Ser James?"

Ser James shook his head and tried to compose himself. "Men," he commanded, and led all of the men from the room.

Cassandra held out a hand to the girl on the floor, and Maria could have sworn she felt a squeeze. She must have been imagining it. Cassandra despised her.

"Are you hurt, Maria?" she asked briskly, dusting off her torn tunic.

"A little… T-they…" Maria knew that it could have been a lot worse, had Cassandra not arrived. "Ma serannas."

"Bastards. Maria, this might happen to you a bit, at least at first. I must ask that you stay with me as much as is possible. Your magic has saved your life, possibly, but we do not need any ammunition against you. I was foolish to let you find me by yourself. For that, I apologize."

Maria was shocked at Cassandra's sudden compassion, even her apology. She never seemed like the type to apologise, ever.

"We must go. There are people waiting for you in the meeting room of the Chantry. Do you want me to carry you again, or…?"

There was a hint of wistfulness in Cassandra's voice, and Maria was still confused about what was going on. Where was the harsh, brash Cassandra she had met before?

Even Cassandra must have saw that her guard was slipping. "No? Okay, well, er, on we go." She shook her head violently and strode off towards the meeting room, Maria following like a little halla calf to its mother.

Cassandra was hesitant to open the door. They heard voices inside the room, arguing. Arguing about Maria. Finally, the door opened and Cassandra led Maria inside.

"Chain her! I want her prepared for travel to the capital for trial." It was the Chancellor, the old man from yesterday. He looked at her with disdain.

Cassandra cut across. "Disregard that, and leave us." She waved a hand towards two soldiers at the door, who obeyed her command with enraptured awe.

"You walk a dangerous line, Seeker," the Chancellor said, almost threateningly.

"The Breach is still a threat. I will not ignore it."

Maria started to cry a little, tiny tears running down her soft cheek. "I did what I could. But it wasn't enough. I'm sorry."

Cassandra put a hand on her shoulder, but otherwise ignored her.

"Yet you live," accused the Chancellor, "a convenient result, insofar as you are concerned."

Cassandra spoke up. "Have a care, Chancellor. The Breach is not the only threat we face."

Leliana seemed to have a habit of lurking in shadows. She stepped out, in the same lilac hood Maria had seen before, looking worn and exhausted.

"Someone was behind the explosion at the Conclave. Someone Most Holy did not expect."

"I am a suspect?!" the Chancellor exploded.

"You, and many others." Leliana thinned her eyes at the old man.

"I heard the voices in the temple," Cassandra said darkly. "The Divine called to her for help."

"So her survival… That thing on her hand… All a coincidence?" The man was almost mocking of Cassandra.

"Providence. The Maker sent her to us in our darkest hour."

There was the talk about this Maker again. Maria didn't know anything about Him, except that most shems she had met seemed to believe you sat at His side when you died. Maria only knew about the Creators, and the Beyond. She had no idea that anyone could believe something else.

"I'm an elf," she said bluntly, unsure of what they wanted to hear. "How could the Maker send me?"

"The Maker does as He wills. It is not for me to say."

"But my gods are the Creators!"

"Humans are not the only people with an interest in the fate of the world."

"The Breach is still in the sky, and your mark is still our only hope of closing it," Leliana told her.

"This is not fot you to decide!" Everyone was ignoring the old man up until this point, where he bellowed across the table.

Cassandra slammed a huge, weathered book on the table. Its cover was made of thick leather, and must have held over a thousand pages. The cover was a beautiful sunburst, with a single eye in the middle of it. Maria had no idea what it really was, but she could be sure it was special.

"You know what this is, Chancellor," Cassandra dared reverently. And the man's terrified expression told her that he did indeed know exactly what it was.

"A writ from the Divine, granting us the authority to act." She stood up tall, and straightened her back importantly. "As of this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn. We will close the Breach, we will find those responsible, and we will restore order. With or without your approval."

Leliana sighed, as if Cassandra had resorted to something she had hoped could wait. "This is the Divine's directive: rebuild the Inquisition of old. Find those who will stand against the chaos." She looked around, trying Cassandra's face for support. But it was bla

nk, deep in thought. Leliana continued. "We aren't ready. We have no leader, no numbers, and now no Chantry support."

Cassandra broke out of her trance and stared at Maria. "But we have no choice. We must act now, with you at our side.

Maria looked back at Cassandra, more confused than she had ever been. They needed more help? Maria wanted to save people, especially her clan, but it seemed so difficult, so exhausting. She wasn't sure how much she would be up to.

"I'll help," she said, against her better judgement.

"Maria, help us fix this before it's too late. Cassandra stretched out a hand, and looked expectantly at Maria.

Maria didn't know what to do with Cassandra's hand. Why was she doing that? She never saw a gesture like that used with her clan.

"You shake it, Maria. Like this, see?" Cassandra took one of Maria's tiny, smooth hands in her rough and callused ones, and shook it gently. She gave the weakest of smiles.

"Let's get to work."


	7. Chapter 7

Cassandra had taken Maria outside, shown her to the whole village, even raising her up on her shoulders. The whole village whooped and cheered, and shouted incoherent things. Maria managed to smile shyly back, and then they were back inside.

"Does it trouble you?" asked Cassandra, gingerly gesturing at Maria's left hand.

Maria mulled the question over in her head. Did it really trouble her? It did at the start, because it was alien, new, it felt heavy and painful. But ever since she had sealed the Breach, it had stopped hurting, and now felt as much a part of her as her fiery hair or her chocolate eyes.

"Not anymore," she smiled sadly.

"We have need of it, yet." Cassandra's voice suddenly turned crisp and clipped, as she ushered her through a door.

The meeting room was now populated by Leliana, Cassandra, Maria and two other people, neither of which she recognised.

Still more shems. Did this place have any elves who weren't servants to the shems? Maria pushed the thought to the back of her mind as Cassandra introduced the man and woman.

The woman was small, even smaller than Cassandra. Next to Leliana, she looked almost child-like in her height. Her skin was a warm golden colour, like the syrup the old women in her clan made. She was younger than Cassandra as well, but somehow still wise looking, like an ancient book kept in perfect condition. Her eyes were quick and dark.

The man was the polar opposite, nearly twice the size of the woman, and all brawn and muscle. His colours were the opposite too, pale and blonde. Maria felt somehow intimidated, because he was wearing similar armor to the men that had attacked her earlier.

The only thing that everyone in the room had in common was the fact they were all exhausted.

"Maria, this is Commander Cullen. He organises the fighting." The blonde man looked up from a scroll on the desk, and gave an awkward half-smile before returning his eyes to his work. Without raising his gaze again, he spoke. "Such as they are. We lost many soldiers in the valley, and I fear many more before this is true."

All the talk about fighting was upsetting Maria. If it was anything like what she had dealt with in the last week, it sounded awful and she wanted no part of it. The way Cassandra nodded told Maria that Cullen's reply was aimed at the adults in the room. She swiftly moved on to introducing the woman.

"This is Josephine,

"Andaran atish'an." Josephine's smile was much more welcoming - and she spoke elvhen! Maria didn't care if this was a shem; she was just overjoyed to talk once again in her mother tongue.

"An'eth'ara, lethallan! Mahn mar an? Dirthas elvhen?" A fevered blush came to her cheeks, as she realized the pained look on Josephine's face. Maybe she had spoke too soon.

"I only speak a little elvhen," the woman explained carefully, reaching out a hand in comfort.

"And of course, you know sister Leliana." Cassandra continued, as if there had been no exchange between Maria and Josephine.

Leliana smirked. "My position here involves a degree of…"

"She is our spymaster."

"Spy? Keeper was a spy!" Maria said earnestly.

Cassandra looked worried. "What?"

"Yes, Keeper took me to the temple for the big meeting thing!" Maria grinned. "She made me promise not to tell anyone, but I'm sure she won't mind now it's over!" Suddenly, she screwed up her face. "Where is Keeper?"

The adults exchanged looks of sorrow, and Leliana put her arms around the child as she realised the fate of her Keeper. "No! Nononononononono!"

"Shh, child. Your keeper is with mother now," Leliana whispered, rubbing small circles on the elf's back as her body became wracked with sobs.

"Mamae," Cassandra corrected her, before looking down at her feet and blushing. "I just… heard her calling her mother 'Mamae.'"

Leliana and Maria stayed like that for a while, Maria sobbing into the woman's shoulder while she rocked the child. Once her crying had ceased, Leliana led her outside.

"It's late, little chicken; time for bed. You have a big day tomorrow, but for now you must rest."

And then it was a return to the wooden cabin, where all the toys were, and the familiar smell of the fire burning out. Leliana tucked her into bed, and asked her if she wanted one of the stuffed animals. Maria didn't have to answer before Leliana made an 'oh!' sound and grabbed Ashalle the halla.

"Cassandra found this, at the very place you walked out of the fade. I couldn't believe her when she told me about it being unharmed. It's beautiful."

"Mamae made it," Maria choked out, taking it from Leliana's hands.

"Your mother must have been magic."

"She was. Mamae was magic." It began to hurt, even though it hadn't hurt earlier. She didn't want to cry in front of Leliana, so she just grasped her hand and squeezed hard.

"Leli?"

"Yes, Maria?"

"Can you stay with me, until I fall asleep?"

Leliana bit her lip, and Maria could almost see her thinking about it. Why wouldn't she want to? Didn't she like her?

"Of course I will," she smiled. "Would you like a story?"

"What kind of a story?"

"It's about a young woman I once travelled with who saved us all, Maria. She wasn't too much older than you, only eighteen. I used to think she was the bravest person in the world. That's not true anymore. I believe you are the most brave. I believe in you. Now, would you like to hear a story about her?"

Maria nodded.

The story was beautiful, especially told in Leliana's lilting, gentle voice. Zest and passion filled her voice as she told the story of the hero who had saved all of Thedas from monstrous creatures called darkspawn. Leliana listened to her questions patiently, and answered them as best she could.

Maria was captivated, and begged for more when she blew out the candle and kissed her forehead goodnight.

"You can hear the rest tomorrow night, I promise, love. Goodnight."

"On nydha, lethallan."


	8. Chapter 8

Maria had barely slept when Cassandra shook her awake. When she did sleep, her dreams were scattered and confusing, and littered with horrifying nightmares that didn't make sense.

Every time one ended, she would wake up with a dry-mouthed scream, bathed in sweat and shaking like a leaf. Leliana would wake with a start, and hold her hand until she managed to fall asleep. Until the process repeated again, and Leliana ended up just sleeping on top of the blankets with the child.

Maria crawled out of bed sleepily, as servants rushed to dress her in light leathers. Where was her soft cotton dress that her Keeper made her wear to the Conclave? It was dirty, and ripped, but it smelled like home. Reluctantly she let the servants button and tie her clothes up, finally slipping her feet into big leather boots. They reached up to her knees, and were far too big. Nevertheless, they were comfortable and felt like she could walk for miles in them.

Cassandra sat in the corner with her eyes closed, absentmindedly fiddling with one of the toys. She seemed just as exhausted as Maria, and looked miffed when she had to lead her out of the cabin. The day wasn't as nice as yesterday's snowy glow. In fact, it looked a bit dismal outside. The promise of rain was peeking through the grizzled clouds, like the tears of a god, furious at what had happened to the sky.

There were still green scars, flickering in and out of visibilty. Would they ever go away? Or would they serve as a constant piercing reminder?

"I have breakfast for you in my pack," said Cassandra, opening her huge bag. She pulled out some strange, thick lumpy liquid. The colour was a dull beige.

Maria screamed when she saw the animals. Huge, strong things, with odd leather seats on their backs.

She tried to run away, but Cassandra grabbed the back of her leather tunic. "For the love of - Maria, they're just horses!"

"I… don't know… that word… and… SCARY."

Solas was sitting on one of the taller horses, looking rather regal. He was wearing a hood to keep his bald head from the wind, and watching Maria through bored eyes as she struggled with Cassandra. He cleared his throat, and spoke. "Da'len."

The elven word calmed Maria, like a piece of home that she could take anywhere.

"Vin, hahren?"

Solas gestured towards the animal he was sitting upon. "Has mamae ever told you about safal?"

Maria shook her head, and Solas beckoned her over. Reluctantly, she put a hand out to touch the horse's neck. It quivered at her touch, but its skin was covered in velvety hair that felt soothing to her touch. The horse nickered quietly, and nodded its head. "They're safe as aravels, da'len." Solas explained, smiling. "See?"

Maria smiled, and let herself be lifted onto a smaller pony by Cassandra. It wasn't quite as grand as Solas' steed, but she did feel important all the same. "Her name is Buttons," Cassandra told her, raising her eyebrows. "Leliana named her, of course."

Buttons was quiet, and didn't move much. She allowed Maria to rub her neck from where she was sitting, and only breathed out rapidly to make a funny sound. Maria laughed, and forgot how high up she was.

She was told the journey wouldn't be long, but they would need to stop to camp overnight at some point. In some way, this comforted her. She was used to camping. Maybe they could even make a fire and roast a bird on it. Could she go picking berries? It was cold up here, so maybe she could salvage some brambles. If they had sugar, she could make jam.

Cassandra checked that everybody was on their horse, and then climbed up behind Maria. She reached around the elf's waist to find the reigns, and pulled on them sharply. "Buttons," - it was nearly comical to hear Cassandra say such a sweet name in her stern voice - "Walk on." She clicked her teeth and kicked the side of the horse's belly.

Maria was mortified. In her culture, anyone who harmed the halla was a monstrous creature, and almost certainly would be exiled from the clan. Even very young children were raised with a deep respect for the halla. Surely the horse was no different?

"Stop! You're hurting her!" Maria shook Cassandra gently. The horse sensed the conflict and began to stress, bolting forward and kicking her back legs.

Cassandra struggled to calm the horse, and then turned to Maria. "The horse has an abundance of muscle in her belly. It would take a very strong impact to harm her this way. This is how we ride horses. She does not mind."

Maria settled a little, but still quivered when Cassandra kicked the horse again. But, true to Cassandra's word, the horse didn't seem to feel the kick in a bad way. She walked on slowly, pausing to nibble at some grass.

"Will we lead, Commander?" asked Cassandra, addressing the light-haired man named Cullen. He nodded, and let Cassandra guide the small horse in front of his own.

Cassandra, even with her short stature and tiny horse, still managed to command the entire group. The group sat behind in awe as she led the team, ordering them to move forward.

Maria looked back at the pack. Solas, Varric, and Cullen. That was it. And herself and Cassandra. Where was Leliana? Soft, lovely Leliana with her stories and her hugs. She didn't want to ask Cassandra, who seemed more ratty today than usual. She supposed she would have to make do with the current companions. Perhaps Varric would play that card game with her again.

Six hours later, and they hadn't stopped. Maria had had a shaky meal on the back of the horse, but other than that had barely moved since the journey's beginning. She decided to busy herself with the sky above.

The endless expanse of pewter cloud had cleared up, leaving the sky, aside from the Breach's scars, a soft robin's egg colour. The only clouds that remained were wisps that lingered stubbornly in the sky like spiderwebs, refusing to be brushed away by the hands of the sun.

The whole atmosphere had a tense, forced feeling to it. Nobody ever spoke, unless it was to give orders or suggest a route. It was only when the sky darkened that the party began to relax and yawn, clearly ready to settle. Cassandra pulled back on the reigns of the horse, and urged the others to do the same. In half a moment, everybody was off their horses.

Everyone but Maria. It was only now, now that they were no longer trotting along on the horse, now that they were at a complete standstill, that she felt the height she was at. Her feet seemed miles above the ground, and she was frightened to fall off and hurt herself.

"Maria?" Cassandra gingerly put a hand on Maria's side. She had frozen on the horse's back, eyes wide and blood pounding in her forehead.

"I'm going to fall!" she wailed.

"Don't be silly, of course you're not -"

"I am going to fall!" The wailing turned into a shriek, and Cassandra put her hands over her ears.

"Come on, Maria, do it slowly. Come on, I've got you," Cassandra whispered, holding her under the armpits.

She had almost convinced her to swing her leg around slowly, when there was a crash, and a horrible crackling sound like the electricity spells Maria's mother was so adept at. A collective gasp could be heard, and Maria fell off the horse.

Cullen rushed over, sword at the ready, as the rift began to open.

 **Author's Note**

 **Oh, a cliffie! I'm terrible at those. Anyway, thank you all for being so patient with me as I was going through my writer's block. Hopefully from now on I'll be doing a little writing each day, so chapters won't take too long! I know that some people are really enjoying this story, and I'd like to take the time to acknowledge the reviews. Thank you so much. Every time I get an email to say someone has left a review, it makes my day. It gives me the strength to carry on with my writing, because I know I've had a positive effect on someone with my writing. I'm so excited for what's to come, and I hope you all stick with Maria Lavellan on her journey in... Inquisitor-hood? I guess? Haha. Anyway, thank you so much again for all of this. Phoenix xxx**

 **you can pm me for my tumblr, where i'll be talking more about my OC soon.**


End file.
